*AD - see disclosure at the end of this post
I was in work way back and the kids in the class I worked in back then had to compose a Tweet and write no more than 66 words. Yep, wouldn’t have a problem with that cause I practically use Twitter on a daily basis. But one girl put her hand up and said “I don’t know what Twitter is”. Of course, most of the class are aghast and gasp in astonishment. But it made me think, has social media taken over our lives, particularly the younger generation?
I mean, this girl doesn’t know what Twitter is (well, she does now) and I think that the fact she had never heard of it was quite refreshing to hear. She hasn’t let social media be the entire reason she’s eager to leave school at 3:15pm.
When I was in school, social media wasn’t such a huge thing. Facebook had recently just become the in thing and Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat never even existed. My Space was slowly going out of fashion and Bebo was at its peak before it declined not long after I left comp in 2009.
Nearly every Internet-y and WiFi-ess thing we do involves social media in some form. It absolutely astounding how social media has taken over us.
Don’t get me wrong, I love using social media and it most definitely has its good uses and values. It does help me a lot in my everyday life and it is valuable in that respect. I use it to promote my blog posts and talk to different people and check on how they're doing and congratulate them on their latest achievements. But I see these people who literally have their phone superglued to their hand (like I am now writing this post) and can’t stop thumb scrolling.
Seriously, has it become a life essential to have and use some form of social media platform? Well, in defence of others, some people rely on their phones for other different reasons, whether it's using Maps to guide them around, using the Calendar to write down their next appointment, setting the Alarm for the morning and for so many other reasons.
We have that Screen Time function on our iPhones now. But does it really make us stop, put our phones down and actually communicate face-to-face with the people around us? It does give us a stark reminder of how much we have used our phones throughout the day, but I don't think it really stops us from using them or scrolling through social media. It just reminds us to put our phones down for a few minutes before we agree with ourselves that we have given ourselves a break and go back on our phones again!
But yeah, we mainly use it to Pin pictures on Pinterest, see what's trending on Twitter and watch Style Videos on Instagram. So to sum up, I think social media has taken over us, as I wrote in a particular post, I'm on my phone way too much and I need to step away from it as much as I can.
However, if you're looking to spice up the back of your phone with a new case, then get over to CaseApp where you can design your own personalised phone case and also a personalised laptop skin. To get 20% off your order from CaseApp, use the code LUCYMARY20 at the checkout. The discount lasts until 14th February so get your skates on!
Wait for it...there's more! CaseApp have given me the chance for one of you lovely people to design your own personalised case! Just head over to my Instagram to find out how you can enter!
Do you think social media is taken over our lives?
Lucy
*This is a collaboration with CaseApp, the design of this phone case is my own work. All social media and phone case views are my own. For more information on this, please read my disclaimer.
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Ok, this is headline news (well, to me it is) - I recently attended to my first networking event!
I got invited just before Christmas to the launch of House 21, a brand new initiative which brings together women to talk about networking and blogging over brunch. What I loved about it when I first had a lovely message from Mel is that they are basing their events outside of London, a great way to include those who can't afford the extortionate train fares to London to go to events, someone like myself.
Picture this, it's a (very windy) Sunday morning, I'm in Cardiff about to head to my first networking event at the Little Man Coffee Company and I'm excited but slightly nervous. I'm hoping that I can engage with some new people and I don't come across as an awkward chipmunk.
As the room started to get busy, I started talking to the lovely ladies that were sat on the same table as me. I actually felt comfortable talking about blogging and introducing myself as a blogger, something I never have felt at ease with before. When you tell you're someone you're a blogger, they look at you with such a perplexed look on their face that you wish you never bloody said anything.
In between lots of blogging conversation and drinking lots of cups of green tea, a great chat from Nia about how she started her amazing craft business and author Karla Brading, an inspirational lady who never gave up writing until she wrote her first book. She's gone on to write many others too.
From eating granola for the first time, to talking about our blogging journeys and learning about so much from some inspirational ladies, I really enjoyed myself. It has certainly highly motivated me to come up with some of my own business ideas, hmm...
So, what did I learn from my first blogging/networking event?
I got invited just before Christmas to the launch of House 21, a brand new initiative which brings together women to talk about networking and blogging over brunch. What I loved about it when I first had a lovely message from Mel is that they are basing their events outside of London, a great way to include those who can't afford the extortionate train fares to London to go to events, someone like myself.
Picture this, it's a (very windy) Sunday morning, I'm in Cardiff about to head to my first networking event at the Little Man Coffee Company and I'm excited but slightly nervous. I'm hoping that I can engage with some new people and I don't come across as an awkward chipmunk.
As the room started to get busy, I started talking to the lovely ladies that were sat on the same table as me. I actually felt comfortable talking about blogging and introducing myself as a blogger, something I never have felt at ease with before. When you tell you're someone you're a blogger, they look at you with such a perplexed look on their face that you wish you never bloody said anything.
In between lots of blogging conversation and drinking lots of cups of green tea, a great chat from Nia about how she started her amazing craft business and author Karla Brading, an inspirational lady who never gave up writing until she wrote her first book. She's gone on to write many others too.
From eating granola for the first time, to talking about our blogging journeys and learning about so much from some inspirational ladies, I really enjoyed myself. It has certainly highly motivated me to come up with some of my own business ideas, hmm...
So, what did I learn from my first blogging/networking event?
1) I need to go on a lot more of them.
2) It's certainly built my confidence up.
3) It's so great to meet so may like minded bloggers.
Hopefully there will be another for me to go soon, I've been given a new found confidence in meeting new people.
What was your first blogging event? Did you enjoy it?
Lucy
Apparently it's Make Your Dreams Come True Day. This sounds like a line from a Disney film. However, I'm here to tell you that dreams can really come true. They did for me.
Picture it, it's a sunny February day, you're in a taxi with your best mate, on your way to a place and you feel like all your Christmases, birthdays and paydays are rolling into one.
It's a day I know I'll never forget; I'm about to meet a bunch of people who I watch week in, week out - yes, I'm about to meet the Liverpool team.
My palms are sweating, my tummy is going round and round like a washing machine with excitement and I can hardly contain the goofy smile that is etched on my face. Queue the massive chubby cheeks.
I'll always have the day etched on my memory - Monday 22nd February 2016. A day that will be the best day of my life until (if/when) I get married. Can meeting Jurgen Klopp, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson and so many others be a better day than my hypothetical wedding? My best friend kind of scolded me for thinking that in the taxi back to the Premier Inn.
The point is that my dream came true, I may as well be in a Disney movie for saying that. If you have a bucket list, like I do, do everything you can to tick off as many items as you can off that damn list!
Picture it, it's a sunny February day, you're in a taxi with your best mate, on your way to a place and you feel like all your Christmases, birthdays and paydays are rolling into one.
It's a day I know I'll never forget; I'm about to meet a bunch of people who I watch week in, week out - yes, I'm about to meet the Liverpool team.
My palms are sweating, my tummy is going round and round like a washing machine with excitement and I can hardly contain the goofy smile that is etched on my face. Queue the massive chubby cheeks.
I'll always have the day etched on my memory - Monday 22nd February 2016. A day that will be the best day of my life until (if/when) I get married. Can meeting Jurgen Klopp, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson and so many others be a better day than my hypothetical wedding? My best friend kind of scolded me for thinking that in the taxi back to the Premier Inn.
The point is that my dream came true, I may as well be in a Disney movie for saying that. If you have a bucket list, like I do, do everything you can to tick off as many items as you can off that damn list!
You want to climb that mountain? - DO IT!
You fancy running the London marathon? - DO IT!
You want to attempt that food challenge in your local pub? DO IT!
Go on adventures, laugh until you wee a little, splurge on that mega expensive bag you want (well, don't get yourself into debt because of me) and just BE HAPPY. Like the title of this post, dreams can become a reality but at the end of the day, it's all down to you to make them happen.
What are your dreams or things on your bucket list you want to tick off?
Lucy
Last year, I kept to such a strict schedule with what days I published new posts, now that it’s the New Year, I’m struggling to figure things out. The reason being that my Story of 2018 diary entry posts have finished, obviously they had to because of the new year starting. I also decided to stop writing my ‘Most Liked, Retweeted & Viewed’ posts as I fell out of love of writing that series.
I’ve realised that I’m now 5 posts down each month. I used to post on Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Saturday’s, but that’s not possible now.
I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out how to make up for those five posts that will now be missing. I’m telling you now, it’s taken up plenty of pieces of paper in my notebook and lots of mugs of green tea to come up with a solution. I’ve worked out equations in school easier than this dilemma.
Should I go down the root of just posting as and when I can? Or just rejig the schedule? Reading Maria's post about where she wants to take her blog in 2019 has got me pumped about what I want to do with my blog over the coming year.
There's also another thing on my blogging mind - content. I did numerous polls on Twitter and Instagram stories about what content do my lovely readers want to read over the coming 12 months. Here's what I learnt from them -
I’ve realised that I’m now 5 posts down each month. I used to post on Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Saturday’s, but that’s not possible now.
I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out how to make up for those five posts that will now be missing. I’m telling you now, it’s taken up plenty of pieces of paper in my notebook and lots of mugs of green tea to come up with a solution. I’ve worked out equations in school easier than this dilemma.
Should I go down the root of just posting as and when I can? Or just rejig the schedule? Reading Maria's post about where she wants to take her blog in 2019 has got me pumped about what I want to do with my blog over the coming year.
There's also another thing on my blogging mind - content. I did numerous polls on Twitter and Instagram stories about what content do my lovely readers want to read over the coming 12 months. Here's what I learnt from them -
1) Lifestyle posts seem to be the outright winner - which thankfully I love writing anyway.
2) Beauty posts - hmm, quite a mixed review on this one, some say go for it, some say you best leave it, who do I listen to?
3) CF/Mental Health posts - quite a popular one, unsurprising as mental health is a huge topic and is in the spotlight more these days.
4) Fashion posts - you're not so keen on those ones, but they are the ones I write less on anyway, so that's not an issue.
These polls kind of helped me, so thanks to all you darlings who did vote! However, the type of posts I did want to give a try this year didn't seem so popular in the polling votes - beauty content. When I first started blogging, I did do a few beauty posts, but for the life of me I can't remember how well they did. Back then, I didn't seem to take any notice of numbers, the naivety of me didn't seem to care. I wish my mindset was that way now. Maybe I could practice writing them before publishing them? See how I think they'll fit in to my current blog.
But yes, I am excited to see where my blog goes in 2019. I hope you will all enjoy my posts for this year and I hope you'll stick with me!
Lucy
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